"I suppose I'll take second shift." Gerrard said, as he lowered himself to the ground, laying his bedroll out and making sure no snow would get into his bag. His coat he shut tight around himself to keep out any cold air, and to help prevent his chemicals from freezing. After bedding down, he tried closing his eyes and going to sleep, knowing he needed the rest, but something was bothering him.

That potion, Aden gave him. It was his potion. He had discovered the mixture a good two years ago or so, but she had gotten it from Seraph. The small thief hadn't been anywhere near him all day, not close enough to steal something right out of his pocket that was. There was something vaguely familiar about the rat-man, but Gerrard just couldn't put his finger on it. In any case, Seraph certainly couldn't have stolen anything from him in the past few hours, but it certainly couldn't hurt to keep an eye on him for the time being. If nothing else, catching the thief doing something to one of them would break his cover and maybe they could get some truth out of him. Gerrard turned over toward his bag and reached out, fiddling with the clasp for a second. Unless it was deactivated, that clasp would give one hell of a shock the next time someone touched it, likely to mess up a person's hand for an hour or two, at least.

That dealth with, he turned onto his back, closed his eyes, and fell asleep...

" I shall take the second with Gerrard" Aden eyed the ground wearily. "I can't sleep here. I know not what kinds of creatures lerks in these woods. when it is my turn You can find me in that tree just there, I will find that more to my liking I am more at home in the trees." would you like me to make a fire before I go........... or do you think it worth the risk.... what if we are being followed? Do we really want to make ourselves an easy target?

Bear conceded Aden's concerns about the fire, but the temperatures would drop to the teens and without a fire they would all freeze. "I understand your fears, but without a fire none of us will be alive come morning. I will set the fire now, the rest of you might as well turn in. Seraph, everyone will sleep ringing around the fire. I want one of you on the north end of the camp, the other on the south. If it is within your skill, I would like detection (traps) set up on the east and west of our encampment. I feel bad omens this night. Best not to get caught with our pants down, if you know what I be meaning. Myself and Tree will take the third shift and wake all in the morning." After Bear's final words, a howl can be heard in the distance back the way they had traveled. "d**ned wolves! Be mindful, the mountain wolves do not shy from fires or men. If they are hungy enough they will try and attack. Everyone sleep with your weapon handy." Satisfyed with the camp setup, Bear places his bedroll on the ground and lays down. Instantly snores can be heard coming from his direction. Meanwhile......"speak Jerard, what have you found?" Lyrid commanded of his scout. "There scent continues north along that trail Lord. But....well...." he stammers. "Out with it, can we catch up to them tonight when our powers are strongest?" Lyrid snarls. "I don't think it best m'lord. I have also caught the scent of Bizmack and his putrid clan. Best we wait until they pass the region they are in and attack at midnight on the morrow." Lyrid listens with contempt clearly written across his snout. "That foul Tundra yetti and his pathetic tribe. Bah! Perhaps they will do our work for us." he silently contemplates. "You have done well Jerard. Let the others know that we will skirt the Yetti's territories and lie in wait for tomorrow nights ambush. That is, if the Yettis don't eat them tonight." he finishes with a laugh as Jerard lopes off to inform the others in the pack. Lyrid's humor quickly fades as he remembers how easy the Dark Elementals had placed him in thrall. He would make them pay one day as well. Of that, he was certain.

OOC: What Seraph found on "The Jade Sniper": leather coin purse containing: 4 gold peices, 2 silver and 15 coppers, quiver with ten masterfully made green shafted arrows, two containers filled with a deadly poison, enough for 10 applications, and other assorted worthless trinkets to include a rusty dagger. First watch has started and everyone is fast asleep except for Seraph and Thengal.

Logged

"How is it that you claim me to be an assassin..(paused in thought)....have I killed you before?"\

OOC:this waould have been posted before the warlock told everybody that only Seraph and Tsurin were awake, but he beat me to the punch.

IC:As he reached through his new found items, he came across Adens whistle. Again, it brought up the question of wether or not she was an ally, or simply forced by circumstance to make him an uneasy truce. although that was a question that he generally had to ask about everybody. But of all the members of the group, she was the only person who had spoken to him. That might be a good sign, or a bad one. there was just no telling. Still, she had given him the whistle, but more importantly, she had used the potion that he had given her. And if nothing else, that would have had to be a sign of trust. That she had trusted him enough to put something from a wielder of poisons, directly into her bloodstream. Even if she had thought that circumstances were forcing him not to poison her, would she really put a knife in his hand and hold it to her neck, for him to do with as he felt fit?

Seraph certainly would not. But then again, she was also an elf. Elves were well known for having an odd social structure. What she had done might mean a thousand things that Seraph would be completely oblivious to. It was not always life and death with elves. There was ethics and morals that often had nothing to do with real ethics or morals, and her being a princess, she would most likely have had these ideals imposed upon her the most.

Or maybe she had been dying when she used the potion. If she had no choice but to trust Seraph or die, then certainly it would have made sense to trust Seraph. The wound in her arm did not look fatal, but he had not checked the arrows for poisons. She might have known something that he did not.

And yet it was her, who first made the effort to give him a whistle. Not a small gesture when you considered that she was bleeding from a wound in her arm and had to go around a camp to reach him. But again, that could be some kind of Elven code that she was adhering to.

Although, her demeanor towards him had seemingly changed. Since that Incedent he had noticed her glare at him not once. She had not specifically addressed him, but she did not seem nearly so hostile. On the other hand, she gave that potion to Gerrard of all people. It would figure. She would give it to the one person that he wanted her not to. Certainly she could not have known the problem she had just created, but it was a problem. After that, he had noticed Gerrard looking at him far more frequently than was normal.

Of couse, Gerrard also, was number one on Seraphs list of potential problems, and so, Seraph too had not taken his eyes off Gerrard. Not that Gerrard would have noticed this. Seraph was extremely good at watching others without them noticing him watching them. His life was literally based around this ability.

He also noted Gerrard fiddling with his clasp on his bag before going to sleep. Probably just standard procedure, but no reason to be careless. The bag just might be trapped, although, in all likelyhood, it was not. Still, Even if the clasp was trapped, Percy would not be touching it anyway. That was the advantage of having a trained Rat, Percy could just scurry in without even opening the backpack. Seraph was not trying to steal anything, just to gather information about who he was dealing with.

He thought this all while visibly examining the whistle that Aden had given him. He was still wathcing everybody else, but most of his attention was on the artifact that had sent so much uncertanty through him. He had seen them before. With the exception of rare creatures, elves were the only race that could here them. Fortunately for Seraph, he was one of those creatures. he did not have very good long range vision, but he did have excelent hearing, and that included a few pitches that most races were not aware of.

Seraph took little time getting to work on his poisons. All the new foods that he had gotten hold of at the elven stockhold would be extramely useful now. So would the poison he had found from the The Jade Sniper. It helped in two ways. One, it was a potent poison, specifically a snake venom, that if left untreated would kill most creatures. Not Seraph of course, who had , over the years, built up an immunity to all weaker poisons, and a strong resistance to even the most deadly of them. Its other usefulness the poison added included the fact that those arrows were poisoned, and indeed, that the elf had been in mortal danger when she accepted Seraphs gift.The dagger on the other hand, was another something that he had not discarded. He had almost tossed it, but then it struck him why in the world a person who was so clearly well endowed, would be carrying a rusty knife. Something was off. He did not know what it was, but it might be important. He held the knife for some time, playing with it jabbing with it, cutting with it to see if it might be enchanted (OOC:if it is, tell me so i can revise this post) but after finding nothing unique about the item decided to hold on to it for a while. He sheathed it in a hidden holster on his leg. in order to do that, he had to pull out a different knife from that holster. He took the knife and put it into his bag. At roughly this point, he sent Percy to go investigate Gerrards bag.

Later, he had just finished preparing his poisons, as well as setting them to darts which were now safely contained in his belt and bandolier, but that knife was still bothering him. He took it out and examined it again, looking to see if he could find any inscriptions or simbols under the rust (he did not scrape the rust off to do this). (OOC:notify me if he finds anything, and i will revise my post to accomodate) Then, resheathing the dagger, he pulled out the one from his bag. If this item was indeed important, he would want a fake one lying around in case of capture. He took the ordinary blade and scraped it up a lot, so as to look as though rust had been removed from it.

Returning it to his bag, he went to the task of setting small traps around the perimiter. Most were simply designed to make noise, but there were some that had his paralysis poison to enhance the effectiveness.

OOC:Ok, like i already said, tell me if i find any special properties or inscriptions on the dagger. Second, i need to know if Percy was successful in going into and out of Gerrards bag, and if so, Alec Shadowkin will need to inform me what my rat saw. (my character can speak to Percy, or any rat for that matter).

OOC: You notice nothing spectacular about the dagger. Not saying it is what is seems, but, nothing short of a powerful identify magic spell would even come close to unweaving the mystery of the blade. Again, this is knowledge your gaining in OOC...do not use it in character until such a time that presents itself in story. The reason I let you in on this little tid bit, is because of your forthsite in keeping the rusty blade. Your curiosity might well empower you later on...then again, it could also d**n you! Enjoy.IC: The remainder of the first watch passes without incident. The next watch is due to be awakened within minutes. Both Seraph and Tsurin heard not a peep from the wolves for the remainder of their watch. The wind did increase and a slight howl can be heard over the treetops. The trees have been relentlessly creaking in the night breeze. It creates a creepy and unsettling atmosphere around the camp for both Seraph and Tsurin. For some inexplicable reason, Seraph feels the urge to look at Bear's form. Mistrust latches on to the outskirts of your subconscious. It is barely noticable and gives you no reason to act upon your passing emotion. In an instant the feeling is gone. The feeling Seraph felt can be easily written off as his normal untrusting demeanor. But, a seed has undeniably been laid in his head. The time for the next watch has arrived. The fire has dwindled down to hot coals and the chill begins to set more firmly within the encampment. About 100 yards from the camps perimeter, a form watches the camps activities. The creature has perfect night vision and can easily make out the sleeping forms and the two sentries pacing and guarding their respective areas. The creature smiles and moves to another vantage point 75 yards from the camp's perimeter. For a creature of this size, it is unbelievalbe how easily it moves through the forest without making a sound. Anyone looking in it's direction would think they saw snow drifting in the constant night breeze. It continues to watch the camp undetected.

Logged

"How is it that you claim me to be an assassin..(paused in thought)....have I killed you before?"\

The knife was still bothering him. Why would The Jade Sniper be carrying a rusted knife. It made no sense. Earlier he would have taken it to Bear and asked if he knew anything about it, but now he was not so sure. Maybe Aden, who at this point might be his closest ally, but then again he would not feel comfortable about doing that. He did however need to talk to somebody. Tsurin was still up. In fact, Tsurin was the only person around the area who still seemed neutral. Tsurin was the only person who had not mentioned Seraph. Although Bear had not really said anything either. But Bear did know that Seraph existed, and for some reason, Seraph could not shake the feeling that Bear was not who he seemed. In fact, Bear might be one of the demons leading them into a trap. How else would he have such inside information. It all didn't sit right with Seraph. What if they were walking into a trap. Seraph knew that his unconscious mind detected things just as much as his conscious mind did. He would not tell Bear anything. Bear was now number one on his do not trust list, and in that case, Tree was not exactly his friend either. they could be allied. Gerrard was suspiscious, but Seraph did not think that he knew anything. But Bear could be very dangerous.And that knife did not make any sense. The more he thought this, the more sure Seraph was that the item was important. Especially because The Jade Sniper knew what he was doing. He was a marksman. It just did not fit. Seraph did not know why, but he did know that something in this whole situation was wrong. The more he thought of the knife, the surer he was that it did not belong, and the more he thought about the whole situation, the surer he became that Bear and Tree were not to be trusted. Worse yet was that Seraph did not know who to trust. He could trust nobody. He would have to keep this knife for a while until he had a better knowledge of what was going on, and in the meanwhile, he would watch Bear like mouse watching a cat.

OOC: i still need to know if my Percy was successful in getting in and out of Gerrards bag and if so, i need the mouse to search Bear's bag of personal belongings as well, before the shift-change.

IC: Aden climbed in to the nearest tree with her back leaning on the trunk of the tree she pulled her cloak closely about her. " Bear was right it isgrowing colder." She took out her hands and smiled, " If they can risk it so can I." with this fire seemed to erupt from her palm filling her body with immediate warmth she carefully set it beside her, it did not burn th ebough on which it set but she would feed occasionally feed it twigs to satisfy its appetite. As she began to drift wearily into sleep she too evaluated her companions. " Bear seems tustworthy enough, I wonder if everyone else trusts him as much as I do. Ofcouse many of them may not understand the mystery that surrounds him, remember your race learned long ago that somethings were not meant to understand. No I've dealt with the other races and if I can correctly remember they were not very good at accepting something that could not be easily explained away. As a matter of fact these are the only people that have accepted me since I ran from my home. Seraph I know now can be trusted. After all that potion didn't kill me. I'm Glad he doesn't know that when I first put it on with the pain I seriously did beleive he betrayed me. Tsurin, theres a tough one, we have so much in common and yet one of the people i know the least about, I wonder how he discovered his powers.... and do they work the same as mind... I wonder.... have they ever caused him any grief or any pian as mine have. There are so many questions that I want to ask him I may try and talk with him when we are traveling again. Gerrard I don't really know a whole lot about him either seems nice though. Maybe I can try and get to know him tonight, We must come together as a group..... there is to much mistrust and mysteriousness here. we ahve got to come together got to...." and with this Aden layed her head upon her bag and fell into a deep sleep. Her sleep was restless it usually is. It has been since the nightmares began this was another reason she did not want to sleep on the ground she was not eager to explain why she thrashed about at night. In her opinion it was enough to have your sleep filled with unpleasant thoughts, she should not have to revisit them in her waking hours.

OOC: I will wait for Warlock to give Jack his information before I wake for my shift! Also just to clear things up Has Tree become the fifth warrior? I noticed that one amongst has not posted in a while and since he is here and you have already named us the five chosen warriors will Tree become the fifth of our group?

IC: Tsurin remained silent throughout the entirety of the watch, just outside of the light of the fire and studiously studying the darkness before him. As with the others, he also pondered on the alliances of his companions. First, there was bear - truly a resourceful man. He seemed to be well prepared for this, from the sled, to the weapons, to the large man which had been willing to pull the sled without any problem - what kind of person goes out into such danger without one sign of disapproval? Well... apart from himself, of course, but that was a different story.Next, came the curious rat-man., who was on watch behind him. Another oddity of a person - Trustworthy, however? Perhaps... but Tsurin, usually a loner, rarely classed people into categories of trust - merely their usefulness - and Seraph was useful. And then there came Gerard. From his silent studies, Tsurin had learned the least about Gerard. An alchemist, obviously, perhaps merely a trader in potions and concoctions. But then, what was he doing here? To have created such explosive mixtures and offensive potions indicates he's had his own run-ins with danger. Now, the woman in the tree. Aden seemed to be an openly honest woman, though shy almost to the point of paranoia about her abilities. Tsurin chuckled silently at this thought - what was there to be worried about? In his mind, anyone who is unable to accept the unusual is not worthy of aquaintance with him. Hm, well, to each their own. Some things worry some people more than others.Tsurins silence remained whilst he called upon a fragment of his magical reserves to cause a lump of snow to arise and hang suspended between his cupped hands. He was in his element, out here in the quiet, snowy wilderness, and he was glad for it. He continued watching the rolling snow and darkness, oblivious to the creature which watched them, for the remainder of his shift.

As the time of the shift ending drew close, Tsurins quiet whisper crossed over the slumbering party to Seraph, "Time's almost up, my small friend. An uneventful night so far, hm?"" Tsurin had shifted back into the circle of light, though his gaze remained glued to the darkness studiously.

The wolves! Suddenly Seraph noticed that the wolves had not been howling. This could not be normal. Maybe it was, but from his experiences with night creatures, there would have been something during the first several hours of nightfall. Again, something did not make sense.

He pulled out the whistle that Aden had given him and blew it. It was a very high pitch. Only two or so notes below his maximum hearing. Then scrambling over to Tsurin."The wolves are not howling. They They have been silent for quite a while. I think something is wrong. I think that we should explore the perimeter for anything suspiscious. And espescially, be on gaurd"(if and when Aden wakes up from the whistle, Seraph will tell her the same)

Seraph already had an unconsciously placed hand on one of his darts. He scanned the area extra hard before he started heading out. Percy his rat, was inconspicuosly sitting on his shoulder watching behind Seraph for anything approaching. Seraph of course was busy being silent, lurking through the woods with his eyes (which see much much better in the dark) and his ears straining to notice any kind of sound or movement or anything at all out of the ordinary, as well as double checking things that at first glance might seem in the ordinary. If somebody was hiding in these woods, they would try and be sure that they blended in with their surroundings as much as possible. Seraph would need to be alerted for that.OOC:I am assuming that Percy made it back OK. Adel: i think that the fifth character was supposed to be Thengal, but then he never showed up or stuck around. Remember, that we actually had had several people in the beginning, who are not here now.

OOC: Jack I understand that but if you will review he said early that there were five great warriors and he appionted the enemy to fit these dimensions, since thengal is apparently out I was wondeing if tree were the person to take his spot!

IC: Aden jumped up as soon as she heard the whistle call she heard and understood everything Seraph had said to tsurin and believed that it was unusual that the sounds of night seemed all but disapear. She readied herself and scrambled out of the tree. She keeping her eyes peeled she began to move around in the darkness weary of any sign movement. She quickly turned around she had heard only the faintest of nioses from the the bushes behind her. she quickly hid behind a tree, She got her Bow and was reaching for an arrow when the sound grew so close she didnot have time, with no arrow drawn she pulled her bow string tight and her skin glowed an earie translucent blue. Her eyes however were the color of frost and upon her bow string sat an arrow completely sculpted out of Ice. She faced her opponent as he creeped out of the shadows. Bow taught she was ready to fire into the night...... however a familiar face looked back at her. There stood Tsurin.

Around the entire camp perimeter, what had looked to be only snow covered hills, now began to rise to their full heights. Twelve Tundra yettis surrounded the camp but made no move to attack. Each of them sported two fiercely glowing sky blue eyes and stood well over 11 ft tall. None of them were holding any conventional weaponry, but the four inch claws and mouths full of razor sharp teeth were more than adequate. Each was a giant muscled mountain of white fur, teeth and claws. They were massive creatures known throughout the lands as terrible mountain and tundra menaces. For a group to be caught in the wilds by one of these beasts was a horror. But a dozen of them! By this time, Bear, Tree and Gerrard should all be awake. Bear cautiously makes his way over to the group and states, "I was afraid of this, but it was an unavoidable risk that had to be taken. Make no aggressive moves or we are all dead." Looking at his fold, he tried to stop them from making a mistake. "Put down your weapons, are you crazy! This is a battle that weapons will not win. They want something from us or we'd be dead already. This is Bizmak's territories. There are several clans inhabiting the two peaks and seldom do they show themselves to humans, let alone interfere with the affairs of people. Bizmak is the "King" of the yettis. Perhaps he has something to do with this?" Bear pondered the last more to himself than out loud. Before anyone could reply or take to action, one of the monster's spoke. "You and yours will follow us Guardian! Lord Bizmak commands you and yours to hold counsel in his throne chambers!" The yetti motions for them to follow a single yetti standing to the north of the camp. "You have 10 minutes to pack your camp and comply. You know what will happen if you resist or try to defy my patrol!" the lead yetti began to blend back into the forest. "We will be watching guardian. Make haste, the master grows impatient! Pack and follow the guide...we are watching" With the final being stated over it's shoulder, the yettis, with the exception of their guide, disappeared into the forest completely. Bear stood still contemplating their predicament. His death grip on his battle ax turned his knuckles white. Finally, Bear let out a gasp of frustration and nodded to Tree, who instantly began packing up the camp. "Everyone gather around. We have no choice but to see what Bizmak is playing at. I have met him once before and that was enough. He is completely arrogant and beleives all other races to be inferior. He will not tolerate attitudes he finds displeasing, so be forewarned. And no, there is no other way. If we were to decide to fight, we'd be dead faster than we are packing this camp right now. These are not mythical beasts my friends. They are what the stories say they are. Every bloody detail. And they are town and village enders! The one and only thing we have going for us is,....well, that....we aren't dead yet! Lets pack up, keep our wits about us, and see what this "King" wants. What say you all?!" Bear begins strapping on his gear and awaits a response from the group.

OOC: Gerrard must let you know what your rat found in his belongings. Bear's arm was wrapped around his pack (like a familiar lover) so your rat found no information there. I have not yet counted Thengal out, but if he doesn't show soon, Tree will replace him in the story as the fifth warrior. Sorry for confusing your name Tsurin. Enjoy all!

Logged

"How is it that you claim me to be an assassin..(paused in thought)....have I killed you before?"\

Gerrard quickly gathered his few belongings and got himself ready to leave. He was still wiping the sleep out of his eyes and could hardly believe they'd been surrounded and captured so easily. This was madness. First a demon, then a mysterious trapdoor and more supplies and weapons than an entire army could use, then a massive force of gnolls and goblins, now these yettis. The day had been just wonderful. At least he wasn't alone. If nothing else, Gerrard felt he could trust Aden, who seemed to naive to be capable of betrayal, and Bear. Seraph was a sneaky little thing not trustworthy at all, and Tsurin was too aloof and quiet. Gerrard didn't think he'd heard Tsurin say a dozen words together all day. Oh well. Nothing left to do but go with these yettis and hope Bear was right: they needed something from the little group, or they were in big trouble.

OOC: Seraph, your rat would have found a number of papers with recipes on them for different things, a small wooden box, though its locked tight, so unless the rat can somehow get in, I don't think I should say what's in it. Besides that, there's a little food, some vials of various chemicals and some empty vials for mixing more.

(explatives deleted)!!! How could he have been so careless. He should have noticed much longer ago that somthing was wrong. So much for his good hearing. Seraph grabbed his pack, which had food, and his scraped up knife in it, and hopped onto the sled.

"Hide me", he said to the others in a voice to low for any of the Yetti's to hear. "I ran up a tree and you haven't seen me since"

At that point he put his pack on top of himself and positioned himself so that he would be as inconspicuous as possible. If everybody put their packs on top of him, and if all went well, the Yetti's would just forget about his existence. There was no point in him seeing the Yetti King, and if things went for the worse, he could always take a few potions and blow everybody out of trouble, and find out what was in Gerrards little box for that matter.

Tsurin, if anything, seemed amused more than anything of both the encounter of Aden in the forest, and their encirclement of these ferocious creatures. "Funny how things can change so rapidly, hm?" he uttered to no-one in particular. With few words, as usual, he packed up his belongings and placed them on the sled next to the hidden form of Seraph whilst speaking quietly in return, "I suggest you try not to anger these things by attempting to fool them. If they are anything like the snow beasts in my homelands, they will have seen your every move into this sled." All the same, he left the rat-man where he was - there was always a chance they didnt see him.

Aden was still a little riled after meeting with Tsurin in the forest, she was also a little confused She pondered to herself as she began to gather her few belongings....." How did I do that......... I didn't ask the ice for aid, How did I sculpt an arrow out of Ice.......... I have always had a special connection with the elements but........ but never as strong as that it was as if for just one moment I was the Ice............. but thats ridiculus No where in the scrolls has it been written that a person and an element could meld together. But, I could feel the coldness within me I could feel it squeezing my insides and biting my skin, what would have happened if I had not realized that it was a freind and not foe tonight" As she thought a little more on how Tsurin had reacted to a near miss, she listened to the faint breeze that was growing steadily stronger, then she turned to Bear. "Time is up the giants approach again........."

"What!! It doesn't make any sense Jerard! What would that fool Bizmak want with our quarry? He can't possibly know the guardian is within the group!" Lyrid began to pace back and forth pondering the packs next move. He was a bit worried the Dark Elementals would return and look to punish him and his clan for their failure to capture the band. "Well, have our best scout tail them to Bizmak's cave. We must not loose them now. You have your orders Jerard, make haste." The werewolf nodded to his master and loped off to issue Lyrid's new orders to the rest of the pack. Things weren't going as planned and the pack knew what would happen should they fail.

(Meanwhile...) "Best we be on the move everyone. Seems our time is up." They all begin to follow the massive guide deeper into the mountains. At least they were still traveling in the right direction. So pre-occupied with the camp clean up, Bear never noticed the foolish move made my Seraph to try and hide himself on the sled. Most, who knew the legends, knew that yettis were magical creatures, who's life spans dwarfed those of the nearly immortal elves. These creatures were masters of their element and could smell a ratman two miles away. This was a big reason Lyrid and his pack never ventured into the Yetti's domain. But, there was always a small chance that they would dismiss the smell as a common rat and not think twice about it. Nothing could be certain though. The group continued throughout the night and into the dawn of the new day. Once every couple of hours the guide would stop and take a knee at the head of the column. Twenty minutes later, it would just stand up and continue on its way forcing the group to adjust to it's work/rest schedule. Around noon, as the group was beginning to tire, they came upon a large cave entrance with two massive yettis guarding it. They had finally reached Bizmak's citadel. After a quick conversation between their guide and the sentries, the group was admitted into the entrance tunnel. Fifty feet in, the tunnel gave way and opened up into a massive cavern some 40 ft in height. Numerous yettis could be seen walking, working and socializing. They paid the little procession little attention and mostly kept to whatever buisness they were conducting. As the troop neared the far side of the cavern, they could see three more tunnels all branching in different directions. The guide chose the tunnel in the center. Ten minutes later, the group was standing in front of a door to a holding cell. The guide motioned for them to enter. "An escort will arrive in two hours to guide you to King Bizmak's throne and audience chamber. I suggest you rest and come up with a good explanation as to why you were found so deep in our territories Bear Mathews." With a final look at the group, the guide turns and disappears back down the direction they had just traveled. The group was left to themselves in an ice walled prison. The cell was 12ft by 12ft. Ceiling hgt was about 7 feet. Three walls were all made of ice, while the one facing the hall was made of steel bars, one inch gap between each bar. Two yetti guards could also be seen actively walking up and down the jail cell row. Other moans of pain or despair could be heard echoing in the hall from what could only be other holding cells. It appeared they weren't the only ones caught in the wrong territory. The sled had also been allowed to be brought into the cell. Aparently the yettis felt know threat from the small group of lesser beings. Besides, what could a small group of lesser beings do to a cavernous citadel filled with hundreds of yettis? Bear walked over and tested the cell door. As soon as his hands touched the door they began to glow a soft blue and instantly Bear grunted in pain as he retrieved his fingers. "Some sort of....frost.....spell protects these bars, keep your hands away from them." He began pacing as much as he could in the small confinement. "Well, anyone have any ideas?" Bear asks as he begins to hand out some cured beef slices. "I figure I should be the one to address this Bizmak when we are brought before him. Don't speak unless spoken too. They may be beasts, but they demand to be treated as royalty. That much I know. This Bizmak is an arrogant one. We must be careful when we deal with him. Now, out with it. What is on eveyone's mind? And where did Seraph get off too?" Bear waits for some replies as he looks around trying to locate the ratman within the small holding cell.

Logged

"How is it that you claim me to be an assassin..(paused in thought)....have I killed you before?"\

Tsurin, once in the cell, began pacing around it slowly, studying each wall, roof and floor. "Well, we most probably could melt our way through these walls with little difficulty, but personally, I don't want a city of yettis on my tail, so I suggest we wait to address this leader and explain ourselves... and our rodent friend has been hitching a free ride." With that, Tsurin makes his way to the back wall and lowers to a seat, resting back against it and closing his eyes - of all of them, himself and seraph had not yet slept since the beginning of their adventure, and that long hiking certainly did not remove Tsurins fatigue, at least. The icy cold of the wall he is resting against seems not to bother him in the least and, though not sleeping, the blue-clad man takes the time to recollect himself, allowing his other senses to take over for the moment whilst idly rubbing his sore muscles.

Aden, sat down much like Tsurin and closed her eyes as if she were warding off a headache, finally she gazed up at Bear her eyes only slightly open and tried to approach the situation logically. "You say that this "king" Is arrogant but you also say that his lifespan is great. If this be so then it is a possibility that he knows of this......... well I will call it prophesy for lack of better words, If he does know how do you think he will react to it? Could he possiblly become an ally? Could we possibly tell him the truth? Do we dare to do otherwise?" At saying this she merely closed her eyes again and allowed her head to fall idly back against the harsh frozen surface, awaiting a responce.

OOC: I need to know if there are any blankets around that were not brought by the party. maybe some kind of clothing in the corner. Also, did we see other holding cells adjacent to ours. Any other information that you might think is useless, tell me. Percy has been sitting on top of the pile of things the entire time, communicating to Seraph. Seraph is aware of his surroundings.

Seraph spoke from the sled. "Do not mention me again. I do not want it known that i am here. I have no uses in a diplomatic mission and my appearence would only weaken the groups image. Aden, blow this whistle if you need of me. Those bars should not be a problem for me, but I do not know how sensitively these creatures rely on smell. So please do so sparingly"

It is seen that Percy is sitting atop the pile of things holding Aden's whistle in his mouth. It may seem funny to some of the characters that it looks like Percy is talking to the group, not Seraph.

Bear sighs at the mention of Seraph's hiding spot. Then, he listens intently to Aden's perspective of the situation and nods his approval. "Well said m'lady. Good points. Bizmak has been in this region, so local lore dictates, for longer than any can remember. It is likely he sat on his throne through several demon escape attempts. What is still unknown, is what roll he has played, if any, in the past. Could be he has chosen to remain out of the affairs of mortals. Or, it could be that he enjoys our epic struggles and likes to get involved. But, if the latter is true, to what end does his involvement influence? I, for one, feel that we should be straight forward. I see nothing to gain by lying, especially if he knows what we are playing at. These creatures are not evil. Violent, barbaric, but not evil. Perhaps we can gain something from this encounter. At the very least, our lives perhaps." Bear looks around the cell at each individual and finally sighs as his eyes rest on the rat with a whistle in it's mouth. "What does everyone think. Do we go with the truth, or pit our futures on the hopes of deception?" Bear awaits the groups thoughts and decisions.

Logged

"How is it that you claim me to be an assassin..(paused in thought)....have I killed you before?"\

Gerrard took a seat as Aden and Tsurin did, shaking his head and rolling his eyes a bit at the rat-man and his protege. At least the yettis hadn't taken any of their equipment or weapons. They must feel quite superior to other races.

"I could probably get us out with a couple chemicals, but in a citadel full of these beasts, that would probably be about the stupidest thing we can do, and lying to their king, especially if he's as arrogant as you say, might be even stupider. I say we tell him exactly what's going on. Hopefully he'll let us go our way, and if we're really lucky, we might get a yetti guide or two to help. Since we're likely to be here for at least a small while, I could use the time to refresh some of my supplies, so just let me know when I'm needed."

Gerrard opened his pack and pulled out the small wooden box Percy found earlier. He manipulated something on the side and it popped open with a small snick. He propped the lid open and started pulling out a few things. Inside the box was a number of compartments each containing a different ingredient for his recipes. He pulled a small mortar and pestle from the box and started grinding up a handful of small leaves....

Aden's head was throbbing with pain" You may keep the whistle it was a gift, If you are needed I assure you I will find some way to communicate it.At saying this she sat back and allowed her thoughts to roam freely while the others decided on their corse of action. Finally after a while had passed she spoke to Bear in a vioce that had seen to much of the harsh temperatures, " I am cold. How would these creatures react if I were to start a fire? Unlike some, I am afriad I am used to a more temperate climate and We happen to be sitting in a hollowed out glacier." Aden's head was hurting so bad she thought it would soon burst. She knew she sounded.... well a bit rude in her manner of speaking, but at this precise moment she didn't seem to care. She spoke agian in her barely audible vioce, "Why don't the rest of you try and sleep a little, It was my turn to keep watch if I remember correctly and Some of you have had no sleep since this journey began, If for some reason we need to defend ourselves we need to be well rested and prepared.

Tsurins lips quirked in faint amusement at Adens words, but he notted faintly, "It would be much appreciated on my behalf at least, were you to take watch, friend elf." Tsurin spoke softly without ever opening his eyes. "And my vote is for telling truth to this yetti leader." He halted in his speaking, crossing his arms before him and drawing closer to himself comfortably. Two hours rest would be better than none whatsoever, and so he shifted into a position more suited for sleep, allowing conversations to continue without him, seemedly asleep and oblivious to any words passed.

IC: Aden sat quietly against the wall Though Tsurin seemed to welcome her invitation of sleep Gerrard seemed to work feverishly at his potions, This Intrigues Adens natural curiosity. She watches the alchemst at his work adding things to his mortar only to grind them into powders, She noticed that as she was focusing on something else her headache began to weaken, she was however still cold, She looked again he never answerd her question about building a fire, she assumed that meant that it probably wasn't a great idea, She looked again at the Sled in which she knew the Seraph was sleeping. He's the smart one Cuddled up and warm I take it! I do wonder what plan he is forming? Then her eyes fell agian on Tsurin, he had called her "friend Elf" and spoken more in these last few moments than he had the entire journey maybe he was warming up to the group after all. " I wonder about him, " she thought to herself," He is so confident in his abilities, he has the confidence that I know I lack. Perhaps if I follow by his example I will gain greater confidence in my own strengths." With this Aden now turned to Gerrard and Scooted a little closer hoping that he wouldn't hamper her growing curiosity. She pointed to a bottle and said, "Whats that? What does it do?"